Honda World Motocross - Back to business in Sweden

Following a short break, the MX1 World Championship swings back into
action in Uddevalla, Sweden this weekend (2-3 July) for the 8th round of
what is developing into a fascinating championship season. The Grand
Prix of Sweden marks the middle round of the championship and provides
an opportunity to look back at the first half of the season and take
stock of how things have un-folded so far.
 
For both Bobryshev
and Gonçalves, new to the official Honda squad in 2011, a top-five
positioning in the overall standings was the priority target. The
secondary objective was to achieve podium positions and to fight for
race wins and overall GP victories on a consistent basis. With the
season only seven GP’s old, both team riders are well on their way to
meeting these goals.
 
Bobryshev has already stepped onto the
podium on two occasions, with fantastic displays in Glen Helen and
Agueda. He also currently sits in 5th place in
the
overall standings. Although Gonçalves has yet to taste the glory of the
podium, he has impressed with several strong race results. His best also
coming in Agueda and Glen Helen, where he scored a 3rd and 4th place
moto finish respectively. He currently sits 7th in the overall standings
but is well within touch of a target top-five positioning.
 
Udevalla
is favoured territory for Bobryshev and Gonçalves, who have both gone
well there in past seasons. Its technical, stony layout seems to suit
the style of both CRF450R pilots and the enthusiastic Swedish crowd
helps give an added boost to all.
 
On the Friday before the GP
weekend commences, both Bobryshev and Gonçalves will be on-hand to offer
expert advice and riding tuition to young racers as part of the Honda
Xtreme Academy Training Camp, held at a nearby Blixas track. The Xtreme
Academy is designed to equip the next generation of riders with the
skills and knowledge to com
pete at
the highest level of the sport.

We also offer you a video preview
of the Grand Prix. The video contains an interview with Team Manager
Lorenzo Resta, who offers a technical perspective, while riders Evgeny
Bobryshev and Rui Gonçalves give their own personal views of the
track. The video also contains footage from last year’s event, where
Antonio Cairoli took the overall.

Please click on the video
link to view on You Tube, where you can also find the embed code
should you wish to place it within your own website.

Evgeny Bobryshev, Honda World Motocross
“Uddevalla
is a strong track for me, one of my favourites! I rode well there last
year, despite a few problems. My bike is very strong and has good power
this season. I think if I can get a holeshot then I can run at the
front. This season has started really strongly for me, I try always to
be at the top. I didn’t really set
myself
a target at the start and wanted to take it race by race but to be
top-five in the championship at half-way is where I want to be.”

Rui Gonçalves, Honda World Motocross
“Uddevalla
is a great track and again I have good memories of it from the past. I
won the GP there in 2009 when I was fighting for the MX2 championship.
The crowd there is really special, and they all climb the hill to watch
the race, which makes for a special atmosphere. The first half of the
season has gone well but I still feel I have a lot to achieve. I have
done a lot of hard work getting used to a new team and to a new bike;
having to change my style a bit to get the best out of it. I feel
comfortable with the package and in the second half of the season, I
want to push for more good results.”

Lorenzo Resta, Team Manager, Honda World Motocross
“For
sure I cannot be disappointed with how the
first
half of the season has gone. Everyone has been improving steadily
throughout, both riders and team members, and it is really important to
keep working this way. We did have a blip in Spain at the last round but
we are now moving into a run of tracks that is perhaps better suited to
our riders and we will be looking for strong results. At the start of
the season our target was to have one rider in the top-five and we are
close to having this with two riders. This is very positive!”